Johann Schelle

(1648 -1701)

Composer. In 1655 he entered the choir of the Dresden electoral chapel, which was directed by Schütz. In 1657 he went to Wolfenbüttel, where he joined the choir of the ducal court. When his voice broke in 1665, he entered the Thomasschule in Leipzig under Knüpfer; he later attended the university. In October 1670 he became Kantorat Eilenburg, and on January 31, 1677 obtained the same post at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. There he introduced into the Protestant liturgy the Gospel cantata and the chorale cantata, Almost all of Schelle's compositions are sacred works, most of them to German texts. Not many of his works are extant, and few were published in his lifetime.